Bella
by Annienygma
Summary: Desperate to save his dying wife, the Doctor manages to pull a rabbit out of his hat. Will there be any repercussions from his actions? Part 2 of "Gift of the Daleks."
1. Never Surrender

**A/N: The last chapter of "Gift of the Daleks" bugged me as much as it did you guys. I had to write it like I saw it, though, in order to stay true to her story.**

 **For the record, I honestly thought her story was finished until I dreamed about her last night. I've been busy reading the Time Winds ever since to figure out what happened.**

 **Here's what I saw.**

 **~~~###~~~**

"No."

"Doctor?" Jack watched the Doctor pick Bella off the floor. Fury emanated off of the Time Lord and Jack wondered if the man was losing his mind.

"I said, NO. I'm not losing her!"

Jack followed the other man as he carried Bella to the Infirmary. The Tardis helpfully moved the room close to the Console Room and the Doctor quickly placed her on the first bed he saw, flipping switches on the equipment and madly starting to work.

Jack could read enough of the systems to see that Bella was gone. The heart monitors were flat and there were no indications of brain activity but the Doctor refused to give up.

The Doctor tossed Jack a respirator. "Place that on her face; I need you to breathe for her."

Jack quickly obeyed, working the controls and watching the chest of his friend once again rise and fall. The Doctor ripped open her shirt and grabbed two paddles off of the nearby cart.

"Clear!" The Doctor yelled. Jack jumped out of the way as the Doctor sent an electrical charge to Bella's hearts.

A blip, then nothing.

"Clear!" The Doctor repeated the action.

Another blip. Nothing.

"Don't do this to me!" The Doctor shrieked, hitting her again with the charge.

"Doctor, she's gone," Jack said, placing a hand on the Time Lord's shoulder.

"No!" The desperate Time Lord shoved him away. "There's got to be a way! I've got to save her! I can't lose her now, she's all I've got! You're not leaving me Bella, you hear! I'm bringing you back!"

The Doctor worked furiously, trying madly to save his wife with an assortment of tools Jack didn't recognize.

Nothing.

Bella was dead.

"NOOO!" The Time Lord wailed, pulling her up and hugging her close. "I can't feel her! You can't do this to me Bella!"

"Doctor, I'm sorry," Jack tried again. Tears streamed down a face that was mad with grief and Jack feared what would happen when the Time Lord finally realized the truth.

"Jump start! I can jump start the regeneration process!"

Jack watched in shock as the desperate Time Lord laid Bella back on the bed, grabbed her face, and kissed her deeply. A glow started emanating from the Doctor and flowed around them both. The ex-Time Agent crossed his fingers and waited. If anyone could save Bella, it was the Time Lord, and he was obviously desperate to succeed.

"There! I gave her ten years of my life," the Doctor explained as he pulled away to look at the monitors. "I've not done this before, so hopefully that will be enough."

"Enough to what? Trigger regeneration?"

"Yes. K'anpo Rimpoche did it to me in my third incarnation. Gave me a bit of a jump start using his own regenerative energy. I'm a bit fuzzy on the details but it should work."

"But I thought you said that you didn't finish the treatments that would even allow her to regenerate?"

"I didn't, but they were close to being finished. If I can stimulate what is there she should be able to regenerate at least partially, enough to heal."

"Oh God, I hope so!"

The pair pulled back and waited for the familiar glow.

Nothing.

"Shouldn't it have started by now?" Jack asked after several moments had passed.

"It's alright, we've still got time. I was dead for quite a while before I regenerated into my Eighth form. The anesthesia I was given delayed the process. She might be building up."

Nothing.

"Come on, Bella, regenerate!" The Doctor placed his fingers to the woman's temples and closed his eyes. "I can't _feel_ her!" he cried as he pulled away.

Jack placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Doctor, I think she's gone."

"No!" The Time Lord pulled away, grabbing Bella and kissing her again, allowing the familiar glow to cover them both. Jack watched in growing horror. _Would the Doctor kill himself trying to save her?_

"Doctor..." Jack began.

"I won't lose her, Jack," The Doctor growled as he pulled away. "I've lost too many, I won't lose her too."

Jack looked at the monitors, hoping for signs of life.

Nothing.

They waited.

"Doctor, she's gone," he said softly, hoping to reach the man.

"Just wait." The Time Lord trained his eyes back on the broken body of his wife.

Nothing.

Jack jerked his head up and looked at the monitors. Had he seen a blip?

Nothing.

"Come _on,_ Bella! Regenerate!" The Doctor yelled.

Nothing.

Jack brushed bloody hair away from Bella's forehead and softly bent down to give her a kiss. "Come on, Bille, come back to us," he begged.

Nothing.

Jack didn't bother to wipe away his falling tears when they began to cover the face of his dead friend. It wasn't fair! Why did everyone have to die?

Blip.

"Doctor, did you hear that?" Jack whispered.

"Hear what?" The Time Lord asked.

"Shhh! Listen!"

Jack pulled back and watched the monitors expectantly. He had heard something.

"What did you hear?" the Doctor demanded.

"Listen!" Jack refused to tear his eyes from the monitor.

Blip.

"Look!" Jack yelled, pointing at the brain wave scanner. A single blip indicated a moment of activity.

Nothing.

Nothing.

"Come on, Hillbilly, I know you can do it," Jack begged his broken friend as he stroked her hair. "Give me a sign, show me you're fighting."

Blip.

"Ha!" The Doctor cheered, jumping in jubilation as he saw the momentary movement on the monitor. "Come on, give me this. Just this once just give me this!"

Jack grabbed the respirator and once again started pumping oxygen into Bella's lungs. Maybe it would help. "Do you think we should shock her?"

The Time Lord shook his head. "Might disrupt the regeneration process."

"Then am I hurting her?"

"No. Oxygen should be fine."

Blip.

"She's fighting!" The Doctor whispered, a nervous smile forming on his face as he watched the monitor. "Come on, sweetheart, come back to me!"

Poof! Jack jumped back as Bella was engulfed in a pool of light. She gasped, chest rising from the table as the monitors suddenly sprang to life and the light disappeared.

Bella was alive.

"Yes!" Jack cheered as he hugged the jubilant Time Lord but as he turned to look at Bella his smile dropped.

"Doctor, why isn't she healing?" Bella's body looked just as broken as before. The only thing that had changed was her vital signs.

The Doctor madly started flipping switches. "I don't know!" Jack stood away and allowed the other man to work.

"Okay, apparently I managed to trigger a partial regeneration." the Doctor informed Jack as he finished the scans. "It was enough to save her life, but not enough to heal her."

"So now what?"

"Now I get to work."


	2. Confusion

There was something in her nose. Not only in her nose, something in her throat too. Bella tried to open her eyes to figure out what was causing the discomfort but they refused to cooperate.

Her mouth felt like it was covered in sandpaper as she tried to groan. She managed to get one of her hands to work so she reached for her nose trying to figure out what was wrong.

Huh? Something was taped to her nose.

Bella felt around and figured out that for some reason a tube was stuck up in there. Why was there a tube stuck in her nose? Had she fallen on it? She wrapped her hand around the offending object and gave it a tug.

"Ack!" That _hurt!_

"Doctor, she's waking up!" Bella heard someone yell. Was she in a hospital? At least she had managed to score a male nurse. Was he cute?

Bella tried to tug at the annoying tube again.

"No no Billie, you need that," the male nurse scolded, grabbing her hand and pulling it away.

He sounded cute. Bella tried once again to open her eyes cause she wanted to see if his face matched his voice but the stupid things continued to ignore her.

Bella heard someone else draw near. "Bella sweetheart, just relax. I inserted a nasogastric tube to provide nutrients while you recover. You're okay." A cool hand rested on her forehead, and Bella felt comfort flow into her skull.

 _Sweetheart?_ Since when did hospitals start calling people sweetheart? No matter; no stupid nurse was gonna stop her from pulling that damn thing out. She raised her hand to try again.

She found her hand clasped in a large warm one. "Hillbilly, you need to stop," the voice ordered firmly, "You're gonna hurt yourself."

"Go t' hell," she mumbled, trying to liberate her hand from the nurse.

"Well, she's feeling better!" Voice one chuckled.

 _Oh, hell no._ No damn nurse was laughing at her. Bella focused on her other hand; when she finally restored communication with the appendage she tried to swat the man.

"Stop it!" Voice two scolded, grabbing her hand and forcing it back down beside her.

"Go t' hell!" Bella declared war on the strangers and started fighting for all she was worth.

"Hold her down while I sedate her!" Voice two yelled. The body that was apparently attached to Voice one draped himself over her. _Ooh, he's built,_ Bella noticed. She didn't stop fighting him though. She brought one of her legs into play when it finally decided to answer her summons only to find it blocked by whoever was laying on top of her.

"Lemme go!" Bella called out in a hoarse croak. This wasn't funny. She was awake and her eyes didn't work and things were hurting and something crappy was stuck up her nose. Whoever these creeps were they needed to leave her the hell alone!

"It's alright, sweetheart," Voice two soothed as something hissed against her neck. "Just go to sleep."

 _Ouch._ That kinda stung. Bella felt herself relaxing.

"Oh wow, you made me high," she mumbled as the numbness worked its way down her body. "That feels _really_ good. Do it again!"

Bella dozed off to the sound of two voices laughing.

~#~

Jack Harkness continued to chuckle as Bella passed out again. "That's the most movement I've seen out of her since this started," he commented to the Time Lord. "Does this mean she's officially out of the woods?"

"Yes," the Time Lord answered. "According to her readings she's just sleeping now. She shouldn't be as confused when she wakes up again."

"So was that from the coma or the drugs you've been feeding her?" Jack wanted to know.

"Bit of both, I'm sure. Plus, she did manage a partial regeneration. It wasn't much, but that's bound to contribute to her confusion."

The men resumed their sentinel positions around Bella's bed. The Doctor had taken them into the Vortex after repairing his wife the best he could so that Jack would no longer be part of events on Earth while they waited for Bella to regain consciousness.

"Why don't you go get some sleep," Jack suggested. "You haven't went to bed in over a week. I'll let you know if there's any change."

"I'm fine," The Time Lord insisted, stretching out in his chair.

"Well, I'm not," Jack argued. "You're starting to stink. Go take a shower at least; you're liable to scare her if she wakes up and sees you like that."

The Doctor rubbed the light beard that had grown on his face. Maybe the man was right. "Sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah. She should sleep like a baby for a few hours at least thanks to that stuff you gave her. I'll let you know if she wakes up again."

"Alright, you win." The Doctor gave up and headed for bed.

~#~

"Jack, she's waking up again."

That stupid tube was still up her nose. Why was it in her nose? And did she really have cute male nurses waiting on her? Bella managed to finally get her eyes to work and they slowly began to open.

Two male faces looked down to where she was laying.

Oh yeah, they were cute. Bella managed a small smile. "Must be my lucky day," she croaked. "Two gorgeous guys checking me out while I'm laying in bed. Did I miss something good?"

"What?" Beefy Brunette choked out a laugh.

Spiky Brown didn't seem as amused. "You were touching her when she regenerated. There were consequences."

"I don't understand."

"Well, it probably didn't help that you're one of the first faces she just saw, but I'm guessing that she's imprinted."

"Imprinted?" Beefy Brunette repeated. "Like a baby chick?"

"Not exactly. Time Lords tend to imprint on the first people they see after they regenerate. They can pick up accents, personality traits, even favorite foods sometimes. They generally tend to be more attached to those people as well."

"Then it's a good thing we're the first ones she saw then, right?" Beefy Brunette continued.

Spiky Brown gave Beefy Brunette a look. "Depends on what traits she picked up."

"Oh."

"Still, I'd rather her see us than say a child, for example. Imagine having a wife who acted like a perpetual ten-year-old."

"That sounds fun. Has it ever happened?"

"Once or twice. Not to me, thankfully."

"I'm right here, you know," Bella interrupted the pair. Did they not know she could hear them?

"Sorry Billie, we're just glad you're okay." Beefy Brunette apologized.

Bella frowned. These guys acted like they knew her. "Nobody calls me that but Jack," she protested.

Beefy Brunette gave Spiky Brown a startled look.

"Post-regenerative amnesia." The other said. "It will pass."

"He _is_ Jack," Spiky Brown then informed her.

"Jack?"

"Hey there, Hillbilly." Jack smiled. "You gave us quite a scare back there."

Bella looked at the pair as she tried to figure things out. If the one guy was Jack, then who was.…

"Doctor?" Bella's breathing quickened a bit as she started making connections. "My Doctor?"

"It's me. I'm right here."

Bella tried to sit up but the men placed their hands on her shoulders and held her down. "Don't get up Bella, just lie still," her husband instructed as she recognized the twitch of his mind. He was worried.

"What's wrong? What happened?" She looked at both men in confusion.

"You were in an accident," her husband informed her.

"Accident?"

"You stepped out in front of a car," Jack said.

"Car?" Bella repeated as she tried to put the pieces together. She remembered bugging the Doctor for what felt like ages, asking to visit Jack. Remembered him finally relenting, warning her that there was a chance that the ex-Time Agent wouldn't remember her. Remembered being hungry, walking ahead to go find some food. Looking to see that no cars were coming and turning around to yell at them to hurry up.

Then nothing.

She was missing something, something important. What was it?

"Let me up," Bella ordered, using her elbows to leverage herself up.

The Time Lord stopped her. "No. Just wait. I'll raise the bed."

Bella relaxed as the Time Lord pressed a button and the head of the bed raised her to a sitting position. Bella looked beyond the two men to discover that she was definitely in the Infirmary.

Bella reached up to touch the tube that was still stuck up her nose. "Why is there a tube in my nose?" she complained. "I can barely talk with this thing down my throat. Can you take it out?"

The Time Lord paused to think. "Well, I don't see the harm if you promise to try eating in a bit." Bella watched as he gathered some supplies and donned a pair of gloves. "Be still."

Bella obeyed and soon the Doctor had removed the nasogastric tube. She swallowed in relief. "Thank you," she said.

"Jack? Mind getting her some of the electrolyte supplement I whipped up? She's probably thirsty."

Bella downed the cup that Jack placed in her hands. Much better. She downed the second one as well.

The Doctor stopped her before she could request a third cup. "Let's wait to see how that settles, eh?"

"Okay," Bella answered. She was looking at the men and around the room still trying to figure out what she had missed. Her hand absentmindedly went to her abdomen to stroke the baby within.

It was flat.

Bella looked down in surprise. Her belly was flat. "What?"

Both men looked solemn when she glanced up in search of answers. "I'm sorry." the Doctor told her sadly. "I couldn't save the baby. I was lucky to just save you."

"My baby? I lost the baby?"

"I'm sorry, Billie," Jack reached out to pat her on the hand. "The Doctor did everything he could."

"Nooooo!" Bella sobbed as the Doctor gathered up in his arms.


	3. Guy Talk

"You think she'll be alright?" Jack asked as the pair of men relaxed in the Library after Bella fell back asleep.

"In time. The funeral will help and there will of course be others once she's recovered."

"What about you? How are you holding up? I'm sorry, I never thought to ask."

"I'm fine," the Doctor said.

Jack took a drink of the whiskey he had poured. "Don't even think about trying that with me; if you are half as crazy about her as she obviously is over you I know you're lying."

To Jack's surprise the Doctor reached for the decanter and poured himself a glass. "Well, I never expected to have another wife, much less children so I am a bit disappointed. More upset with myself than anything."

"Why?" Jack asked. "You practically managed a miracle. Bella wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"She wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place if I hadn't sent her up ahead!" The Doctor said sharply. "I should have known better; being an American she's never been exposed to cars driving on the left. She didn't even think! I should have watched her closer."

The pair sat in silence when Jack couldn't come up with a response. "So, fill me in on what happened when you found her. She was taken from me in Pompeii; I tracked down who nabbed her and found out that she had been taken to you so I left it."

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and took another sip. "Well, she punched me when she thought I had kidnapped her and left you in danger. After that it was a matter of getting her used to me again. We escaped, explored a few planets, and eventually wound up here. You know the rest."

Jack burst out laughing. "Bella _punched_ you? Ouch! She's got a mean swing!"

The Time Lord nodded. "Oh yes. And for the record, I don't appreciate you teaching my wife how to kill. What did you have her doing that you needed to teach her _that?_ "

"I did NOT teach Bella how to kill; her Uncle Tony did that when she was a kid," Jack retorted.

The Doctor snapped to full attention. "Uncle Tony? Who's that?"

Jack shrugged. "Dunno; some guy that used to visit her grandfather a lot. From what I understand he was a better father to her than her real one except for the crazy stuff he taught her. That's why I picked her up, actually; the guy taught her how to make moonshine. We never did get around to building that still..."

"Moonshine?"

"Oh yeah. Stuff's supposed to rival hypervodka if you make it right." Jack chuckled. "I thought I was going to make a fortune."

"No, that's not what I meant," the Doctor corrected. "What I'm saying is that this man didn't just teach her how to make moonshine, he also taught her how to kill. What was he using her for?"

"Very not good things, but don't say that to Bella. She's as protective over him as she is of her grandfather. She was just a kid when she saw him last; imagine what type of person teaches a pre-teen little girl how to murder someone."

"What? And let me guess, she thinks that's normal."

"Not exactly normal, but she does have an interesting way of looking at things as a result. And Bella didn't kill _anyone_ under my watch, though I did have to stop her once. Saw a guy beating a kid in the streets; she didn't take it well. What happened with you?" Jack asked.

The Time Lord sighed. "We were separated. Bella managed to escape and killed several guards before she got back to me. I didn't see the half of it until I left her on the Tardis and went back to shut the place down."

"Wait, you convinced her to stay on the Tardis? How did you manage that? I never could get her to stay put!"

"I knocked her out with a telepathic sleep command."

Jack fell back in his chair, roaring with laughter. "I bet she was pissed when she woke up!" The ex-conman sobered after a bit. "I hated you back then," he confessed. "The whole time she was with me she talked about you. Tried my best to make her forget you but she never did."

"That was the bond."

Jack shook his head as he poured himself another glass. "No it wasn't. You treated her like a queen and she loved you for it. Problem was, you also told her that she'd been lied to by the one person she trusted the most; she couldn't handle it, especially when she started falling in love with you. Thought it was Stockholm Syndrome. That's why she ran."

The Doctor held out his glass for Jack to refill. Sitting back, he admitted, "you weren't exactly my favorite person either once I found out you were the one who had her. I know how you were back then. It wasn't till later that I realized that my fears were unfounded."

"Yeah," Jack acknowledged. "I didn't have a chance. It wasn't for lack of trying, though."

"Oi! That's my wife!"

"And at that point in my life I didn't know you from Adam and cared even less. Like I said, though; I didn't have a chance. She never let me come close. Ended up like a sister more than anything. And what I said about you mistreating her; I meant it. Hurt that girl and you deal with me."

The Doctor nodded. "She's very attached to you, Jack. Her first pregnancy crying jag was over you."

"What?"

"She was terrified that you had died in Pompeii; it wasn't until I confessed to knowing you that she calmed down. Kept after me to visit you until I finally relented."

Jack laughed. "Let me guess; you were jealous."

"Well, she _is_ my wife."

"Yeah."

The Time Lord finished his drink and stood up. "I'm going to check on Bella; why don't you get some sleep?"

"I'll head that way in a few minutes. You off then?"

"Yes. Goodnight, Jack."

"Night, Doctor."

Jack sat there drinking for some time after the Time Lord left. He wondered if things would have been different if he had managed to meet Bella first.

 _Lucky bastard,_ Jack thought as he finished his glass. Still, the Time Lord had a habit of leaving his companions behind; maybe Jack would get lucky one day. He could wait.

After lifting the glass in an empty salute, he placed it on the table and went to bed.


	4. Arrangements

Bella rocked the remains of her baby. Tears streamed down her face in quiet grief; she couldn't stop crying though the sobs had ceased some time before. To her relief the men had finally left her alone to say farewell to her stillborn little boy.

She unwrapped the soft blanket once again. Tiny little fingers begged to be held and Bella clasped them in one shaking hand. She was awed by what she saw; even partially developed he was definitely her child. He was so tiny! Bella wondered what he would have looked like if she hadn't gotten him killed. One of the men had placed a tiny blue cap upon his head; Bella lifted it and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, hugging her child to her breast as she rocked him once more. He had been the only thing she had truly been thankful for since everything had started.

While the guys had explained that it wasn't her fault, that they were to blame for not warning her about the traffic differences she knew they were just trying to make her feel better. She should have known to look both ways, known not to pause and look back at her husband and Jack. Why had she been so stupid?

Soon the men would take her to a quiet little place and set her baby on fire. It was apparently tradition among the Doctor's people to give their own a blazing farewell. How could she handle watching her own flesh and blood go up in flames? She had barely been able to handle having her grandfather's remains cremated and she hadn't been forced to watch that.

Bella could see herself ripping the baby off the funeral pier and saving him from the flames. See herself jumping up there and letting the fire take her as well. See so many things but how to survive this miserable disaster.

"They should have just let me die," she muttered. "I want to be with you."

Laying back down upon the bed, she curled herself around her baby as she continued to grieve.

~#~

"Will you quit pacing! You're going to wear a hole in the floor!" Jack snapped for the fifth time that hour.

"She doesn't need to be left alone!" The Time Lord retorted. "I can _feel_ her, Jack! She's hurting!"

"Of course she's hurting! She just lost her baby, for Christ's sake! You've got to give her a chance to grieve!" Jack softened. "Look, I know it's hard to understand; you've got her in your head, after all, but Bella does best when she deals with things on her own. She's not used to being smothered. And since I've got a few year's worth of experience over you when it comes to that girl, you're going to bow to me when it comes to that. Give her some space, Doc. She'll come around."

Jack pushed a glass of whiskey into the Time Lord's hand. "You want to help her? Get drunk. It can't be helping that she's got you freaking out in her skull on top of everything else, so we're getting you plastered."

The Doctor looked at Jack in shock. "Are you insane? What if she needs me? I can't get drunk even if I wanted to, which I don't."

"Yes you can. You forget I've seen you plastered. All you have to do is slow down your metabolism. I'll stay sober enough to watch after Bella. Now drink!"

The Doctor drank. Jack paced himself as he fed the Time Lord glass after glass of the amber liquid, hoping to get the man so sloshed that he would pass out and give Bella some relief. If the man was getting on Jack's nerves he could only imagine how much worse it was for Bella having the hyperactive Time Lord in her head.

"I've never lost a child before; not one so young," the Doctor confessed when he finally settled on the sofa. "I've lost them, true, but they were all adults."

Jack nodded as he refilled the decanter from a fresh bottle. "Yeah. It's different when they're babies."

"You've experienced it then?"

"Once or twice. One of my wives never could manage to carry a child to term."

"I'm sorry."

"I still say we need to bury the ashes on Earth. Get a marker, give Bella someplace she can visit. It'll help her heal."

"No."

"Why not?" Jack wanted to know.

"You know why; the wrong person finds out about that child they could harvest the DNA and cause all sorts of trouble."

"Not if we do it right. I can set it up so that no one ever suspects; put a false name on the headstone – I'll give him my name if have to. No one would ever know the difference."

"I would."

"Now that's just being selfish! I thought you cared for Bella."

"I do; I'm not about to endanger the universe on the whim of a woman, though."

Jack snorted in disgust. "Well at least let her have the cremation on Earth. I own a patch of land outside of Cardiff that would be perfect. That way I can make sure that no one puts a building over the baby. Let me do that for her at least."

"All right," the Doctor relented. "We'll do it in Cardiff. But no markers, understood?"

"Agreed." Jack clinked his glass against the one held in the other man's hand.

~#~

Sometime later Jack tiptoed into the Infirmary to visit Bella. "Hey gorgeous? You awake?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Bella answered softly from the bed as she sat up. "How did you get away from the Doctor?"

"Got him sloshed enough to fall asleep," Jack answered.

Bella shook her head. "I was wondering why he felt off. Leave it to you to get a Time Lord drunk."

Jack chuckled. "I managed to talk him into letting us do the cremation on some land I own outside of Cardiff. I know it's not the mountains but at least it's not on another planet like he wanted."

"Thank you," Bella said softly.

"So, how did he manage to talk you into marrying him? I imagine that's quite a story."

Bella snorted. "He didn't."

Jack's eyes widened. "You're kidding! What happened?"

"I'd just woke up after Pompeii. I was freaking out because I didn't know what had happened to you. Guess I pissed him off, cause he grabbed me and did the bond. Hurt like hell, too." Bella rubbed her temple in memory.

"So the Doctor didn't give you a choice this time either?"

Bella shook her head. "No."

Jack took a deep breath. "Okay, the first time I can grant because maybe you freaked him out or something. I know how scary your pity parties can look from the outside. Second time? No. There's no excuse for that one. I thought he had given you a choice. How do you feel about it?"

"I honestly don't know, Jack. I mean, I love him, but I can't really tell if it's me or just the bond, you know?"

"Yeah, that's gotta be confusing. Do you want to stay with him, or do you need me to get you out?" Jack asked.

Bella sighed. "I don't know. I honestly don't know what to do. I enjoy being with him, he's nice enough but I...I just don't know. Part of me just feels trapped."

Jack thought for a moment. "Okay. How would you like to have a place on Earth as a safe haven? I could buy you a place, get it set up so that if you ever decide to leave him you could go there."

Bella's eyes widened. "You would do that?"

"Of course! Besides, it would give you an excuse to visit."

Bella frowned after a moment. "I can't; the Doctor would go ballistic. You've seen how he is."

Jack smiled grimly. "Bella, we don't have to tell him; it could be our secret. That might be better, actually. You would have a place to go that he wouldn't know about."

"You know he can track me now, right? He's got it set so the link won't break anymore."

Jack gave Bella a mischievous grin. "You let me worry about that. I may not be able to break that bond but I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to block it if you ever want to. Leaving that up to you, though; I suspect it might hurt worse than when you managed to snap it that one time. So what do you say? Want me to set it up when I get back to Earth?"

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Bella smiled.

Jack waggled his eyebrows. "You could always start showing me," he leered playfully.

"C'mere," Bella pulled Jack close and gave him a resounding kiss.

"Oh, that reminds me," Jack said when the quick kiss finished. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "Take this; I had the Doctor sonic it for Universal Roaming."

Bella examined the device as he put it in her hand. "What for?"

"You need a way to contact me if something ever happens. I'm serious, Billie; if you need anything I'm just a phone call away."

"But which number will I dial?"

"I'll pick up a new phone as soon as I get home and give you a call. That way all you have to do is save the number. You might want to hide that; I'm not sure how he'll react if he knows we can communicate regularly."

Bella nodded. "Can you hold onto it until he lets me out of bed? I'm afraid he'll find it in here."

Jack took the phone back and placed it in his pocket. "Sure." He nodded at the tiny bundle laying beside her. "I need to put him back in stasis. You okay with that?"

Bella swallowed. "I don't have much choice; he's dead."

"Yeah." Jack picked up the tiny form and cradled it in his arms. "Why don't you get some sleep; I think he's letting you out of bed in the morning."

Bella nodded.


	5. Farewells

Bella stood dry-faced as she watched the Doctor light the funeral pyre. She had no more tears to shed. She rubbed her arms against a sudden chill; the slight breeze causing goosebumps to rise. Jack took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders as the trio silently said their goodbyes to the child whose life had ended before it begun.

"It doesn't seem right, just setting him on fire and leaving him," Bella complained softly to Jack. "Who's gonna be able to find him and keep him company when he's lonely?"

"Trust me, Billie," Jack whispered in her ear, looking first to ensure that the Time Lord was still distracted. "I'll make sure he's taken care of."

Bella looked up at her friend. "How?"

Jack winked before turning back to look at the Doctor. The Time Lord was silent, watching the flames with a faraway look. Bella could sense that he was grieving; she walked over to her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist. He absently draped an arm over her, never taking his eyes off the flames.

"I'm sorry," Bella choked, tears threatening to rise again as she looked up at the Doctor. "It's all my fault."

"No. It was an accident." The Time Lord rubbed her arm absently as she turned again to watch the fire.

The flames began to die down as the sun began to set. Silently, the Time Lord guided everyone back to the Tardis. "Sure we can't persuade you to stay a little longer? I really don't mind. One trip at least?" he asked Jack before he dematerialized the ship.

Jack shook his head. "Sorry Doc, I need to get back to my team. You _will_ bring Billie to visit though, right?"

"I promise." The Time Lord said as he took them back to the Millennium Centre. "Torchwood awaits!" he called out when they landed.

Bella gave Jack back his coat as the pair exited the Tardis. He quickly put it on before wrapping Bella in a bear hug and lifting her off the ground. "Everything's gonna be fine sweetheart," he whispered into her ear as the Doctor watched the pair say their goodbyes from his spot at the Console. "Check that phone in a day or so; I put it on silent. Call me back when you can. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Okay. I'm gonna miss you, Conman." Bella said as they continued to hug.

"And I'm gonna miss my little Hillbilly. But we'll see each other soon, even if I have to steal another Vortex Manipulator and track you down." He released Bella and stepped back. "Better get back now," he told her. "Best not to make him too jealous. Be safe." Jack took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. He turned and walked away without a backwards glance.

Bella felt an arm wrap around her shoulders as she watched her friend walk away. She looked up to see that her husband had stepped up beside her. She leaned into him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

As Jack disappeared into the distance the Doctor gave her a nudge. "Come on; I think we both need a distraction. Fancy a trip?"

"Where to?"

"I dunno; someplace cheerful. Let's go," he said as he guided her back into the Tardis.


	6. The Next Doctor

Bella looked at herself in the full-length mirror as the Doctor finished closing the back of her dress. "I look like a princess," she said in awe as she admired the costume. "Where are we again?"

"London, close to the mid-1800's. Not sure of the exact time yet." the Time Lord responded as he stepped back. "There! All finished. Never understood why Victorian fashion made it impossible for women to dress themselves. Then again, it does provide some interesting opportunities for a husband to admire his wife." Bella blushed as he dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Come on. Let's go exploring."

Bella looked around curiously as they exited the time ship. The Tardis had landed beneath some sort of archway. "It's snowing!" she exclaimed, trying to catch a snowflake in her hand. "I haven't seen snow in ages!"

"As cold-natured as you are I thought you'd rather avoid it," the Time Lord teased as he guided her towards a nearby market.

Bella stumbled over her bountiful skirt. "How do people walk in these things?" she griped, grabbing the skirt in one hand and lifting it so that she could walk easier.

"Very carefully," the Doctor chuckled.

"Good afternoon," a policeman greeted the couple as they strolled through the marketplace, admiring the sights.

"Hot chestnuts! Chestnuts!" called one of the sellers hawking their wares.

"Ooh, that guy's got roasted chestnuts," Bella exclaimed, pointing at the salesman. "I've never had them roasted before."

"Well then, I guess we had better try some," the Doctor said as he guided them towards the seller and purchased a small amount. "What do you think?" he asked as Bella took her first bite.

Bella closed her eyes in bliss as she swallowed. "Oh my, they're delicious! Better than raw, definitely! What do you think?"

"They're quite good," the Doctor answered as he finished sampling his.

Bella followed the Doctor as he approached a nearby boy. "You there, boy, what day is this?" he asked.

"Christmas Eve, sir," the child responded.

"What year?"

Bella giggled at the look the boy gave the Doctor. "You thick or something?" he asked.

"Oi! Just answer the question," the Time Lord retorted.

"Year of our Lord 1851, sir," the boy answered.

"Right." the Doctor nodded. "Nice year. Bit dull."

"Doctor! Doctor!" The pair jerked around, startled at the call.

"Who, me?" the Doctor looked at Bella and asked. At Bella's shrug, the Time Lord grabbed her hand and ran towards the sound.

It was official. She hated corsets. Bella felt like she was suffocating as the Doctor dragged her into an alleyway. A dark skinned woman stood there, facing a set of large double doors that were shaking violently. Whatever was on the other side was definitely not happy. Bella placed her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"Don't worry, don't worry," The Doctor reassured the woman, pulling her back from the vibrating doors while Bella looked on. "Stand back. What have we got here?" he asked as the doors shook again. Something growled on the other side, making the hairs on the back of Bella's neck stand on end.

"Ooh." the Doctor said. He turned to look at Bella and the woman. "Okay, I've got it. Whatever's behind that door, I think you should get out of here. Bella, go back to the Tardis. I'll meet you there when I'm done."

"What?" Bella asked in surprise at the command.

"Doctor!" the woman yelled again.

The Doctor gave the woman a little wave. "No, no, I'm standing right here. Hello." Then at Bella, "I told you to go!" Bella could feel a wave of irritation hit her through their link. She sent a wave right back. Why did he want her to leave?

The woman glared at the Doctor. "Don't be stupid. Who are you?"

The Time Lord turned his attention back to the woman. "I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" the woman demanded.

"Just the Doctor."

"Well there can't be two of you!" the woman retorted.

Temporarily forgotten, Bella watched as a man ran up to the pair.

"Where the hell have you been?" the woman snapped at the stranger as he placed himself between the group and the shaking door.

"Right then," the new man said, taking charge of the situation. "Stand back. What have we got here then?"

"Hold on, hold on," Bella's husband interrupted. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," the other man responded. "Simply the Doctor. The one, the only, and the best." He reached out his hand to the dark-skinned woman. "Rosita, give me the sonic screwdriver."

Bella felt her husband's surprise match hers. "The what?" he asked the newcomer.

The stranger ignored him. "Now quickly, get back to the Tardis."

"Huh?" Bella asked in confusion as she took a sniff of the strange man. Nope, definitely human. _What the hell_?

"Back to the what?" Bella's husband was obviously as confused as she was.

The human man gently pushed the Doctor back away from the door. "If you could stand back, sir. This is a job for a Time Lord."

"What?" Bella exclaimed. _How could a human be a Time Lord?_

"Job for a what lord?" the Doctor asked the stranger. His face matched the emotions she felt roiling in her mind.

Before the strange man could reply the doors burst open. A big, black, hairy, dog-looking thing was standing on the other side. It was wearing some sort of brass mask that shielded its face from view.

"Oh, that's different," the strange man said as he looked at the creature.

"Oh, that's new," her husband echoed.

Bella's eyebrows tried to hide in her hair when both men simultaneously pointed their screwdrivers at the creature and yelled "Allons-y!" She backed up until she could go no farther as her eyes flitted between the three people and the creepy-looking animal thing.

"I've been hunting this beast for a good fortnight. Now step back, sir!" the human Time Lord ordered.

Bella ducked as the creature dashed out of the doorway and leaped above her head and to the right. Nobody noticed her as they watched the creature pause from climbing the building and look down at its tormentors.

"Some sort of primitive conversion," her Doctor explained. "Like they took the brain of a cat or a dog."

 _Dog, more like._ Bella thought as she remained in the background. _But its back legs bend like a human's. That's weird._

"Well, talking's all very well," the human Time Lord replied. "Rosita?"

The woman handed the man a long coil of rope that she had picked up while the two men were busy examining the creature. "I'm ready."

The man looked at Bella's Doctor as he grabbed one end of what she finally realized was a lasso, "Now, watch and learn!" He tossed it at the creature and got it around the beast's neck with a single try. _Cute_ and _talented,_ Bella thought, impressed.

"Excellent!" the stranger declared cheerfully. "Now, then, let's pull this timorous beastie down to earth!"

Bella stifled a snicker as the beast started climbing again, taking the stranger with it. His feet started kicking as it lifted him higher and higher above the ground.

"Or not," Bella's Doctor commented.

"I might be in a little bit of trouble!" the stranger called out as the creature continued to lift him higher.

"Nothing changes," the Doctor said. "I've got you!" he yelled as he rushed forward and grabbed the rope.

Bella's mouth flew open as the creature kept climbing. The extra weight of her husband didn't appear to affect the thing one bit and soon the Doctor was up in the air as well. Bella ran over to the end of the rope that was trailing on the ground. She grabbed it and pulled, hoping that her weight might help the pair.

The woman called Rosita grabbed Bella's shoulder, "Don't you be stupid too!" she snapped. "I know what to do. Let's go!" She hefted the axe in her hand for emphasis.

Bella released the rope and followed the woman up the stairs of the building, cursing her corset the entire way. Soon they were in a large room; Bella watched with growing trepidation as her husband and the stranger were dragged through the far window and across the floor. She ran to the window as the creature jumped over to a nearby building, trying to work out how best to help her husband.

Rosita solved the problem by chopping through the rope with her axe.

Husband out of danger, Bella ignored the men as they laughed and hugged. She wanted to follow the strange looking thing so she tucked her dress up out of the way and backed up, preparing to leap after the creature.

"Don't you dare!" her husband yelled. Bella jumped, wincing at the sudden surge of emotion that slammed into her from her husband. "I told you to get back to the Tardis!" he growled lowly as he stalked over to her, eyes dark with emotion.

"It just went over there!" Bella pointed to the opposite building, hoping to deflect his attention from her to the creature. _What was his problem?_ She wondered. She had jumped creeks that were wider.

"You're mad, all of you! You could've got killed!" the woman scolded. Bella let out the breath she was holding as her husband's attention was successfully diverted.

"But evidently we did not," the human Time Lord replied to the agitated Rosita as the group left the building. Bella was forced to follow as her husband led her along with a firm grip on her upper arm. She could feel that he was still annoyed with her so she kept silent despite her discomfort.

"Oh, I should introduce Rosita," the man continued as they finally reached the bottom of the stairs outside of the building. "My faithful companion, always telling me off."

Bella rubbed her arm when the Doctor finally released her. "Well, they do, don't they?" he said to the other man before turning to look over the woman in question. "Rosita. Good name. Hello, Rosita."

"Huh." The woman wasn't impressed. She turned to rant at the human Time Lord, "Now I'll have to go and dismantle the traps. All that for nothing, and we've only got twenty minutes till the funeral, don't forget. Then back to the Tardis, right?"

"Funeral?" her husband asked. She could feel his irritation at her being replaced with curiosity.

"Oh, long story," the human Time-Lord replied as he stretched to work out the kinks from their adventure. "Not my own, not yet. Oh, I'm not as young as I was."

"Well, you're not as young as you were when you were me," Bella's husband said to the other man. _Huh?_ Bella looked between the two men, trying to decipher the cryptic comment. She sniffed the air again. _Nope, definitely human._

The stranger looked at Bella's Doctor curiously. "When I was who?" Bella was glad to know that she wasn't the only one who was clueless.

Her Doctor looked at the other man quizzically. "You really don't recognize me?"

"Not at all," the other man declared.

"But you're the Doctor," Bella's husband stated. "The next Doctor. Or the next but one. A future Doctor anyway. No, no, don't tell me how it happened. Although, I hope I don't just trip over a brick. That'd be embarrassing. Then again, painless. Worse ways to go. Depends on the brick."

Bella frowned as she listened, deliberately being unobtrusive in hopes that her husband would forget she was there. So was this human Doctor was a future version of HER Doctor? She reached out with her mind, trying to feel him. Nothing. Shouldn't she be able to feel him through the link? And if he was a future version of _her_ Doctor, where was _she_? Had she left him? She tried to imagine this man touching her the way her Doctor was fond of doing and shuddered. The thought was just too creepy.

"You're gabbling, sir," the other Doctor declared. "Now might I ask, who are you two, anyway?"

Bella winced. She had hoped they would forget about her. She didn't understand why her husband kept trying to order her back to the Tardis but she definitely didn't want to go; this was getting interesting.

"No, I'm, er, I'm just...Smith. John Smith. And this is my wife Bella," he said, nodding towards where she was standing. Bella gave a small wave at her so-called future husband when he looked at her. "But I've heard all about you, Doctor." her husband continued. "Bit of a legend, if I say so myself."

The man nodded. "Modesty forbids me to agree with you, sir, but yes. Yes I am."

Bella snorted. That was definitely something her husband would say.

Her Doctor examined the human Doctor closely. "A legend with certain memories missing. Am I right?"

The stranger looked at Bella's Doctor sharply. "How do you know that?" he demanded.

"You've forgotten me," her Doctor replied.

"Great swathes of my life have been stolen away. When I turn my mind to the past, there's nothing," the man explained somberly.

"Going how far back?" her Doctor questioned.

"Since the Cybermen. Masters of that hellish wall-scuttler and old enemies of mine, now at work in London town. You won't believe this," the man said, glancing between Bella and her Doctor, "but they are creatures from another world."

"Really?" Bella could sense amusement and sarcasm slipping from her husband. "Wow."

"It's said they fell onto London, out of the sky in a blaze of light," the human Time Lord continued to explain, lost in thought as he stared into the fire burning in a barrel close by. "And they found me. Something was taken, and something was lost." He looked back up at Bella's Doctor, "What was I like, in the past?"

Bella could feel her Doctor hesitate. "I don't think I should say. Sorry. Got to be careful with memory loss," he explained. "One wrong word..."

"It's strange, though," the human interrupted, glancing between the two of them. "I talk of Cybermen from space and you two don't blink."

"Ah, don't blink! Remember that?" Bella's Doctor asked, apparently trying to jog the other man's memory. "Whatever you do, don't blink? The blinking and the statues? Sally and the angels? No?"

The amnesiac frowned. "You're a very odd man," he declared.

"Hmm, I still am," Bella's Doctor commented. "Something's wrong here."

 _Ain't that the truth,_ Bella resisted adding. That guy thought he was _her_ Doctor, despite the fact that he smelled human. Even worse, _her_ Doctor apparently agreed with him.

"Oh, the funeral!" the stranger interrupted abruptly. "The funeral's at two o'clock! It's been a pleasure, Mister and Missus Smith. Don't breathe a word of it."

"Oh, but can't I come with you?" her Doctor asked.

"It's far too dangerous. Rest assured, I shall keep this city safe." The man turned to leave, then spun back around, "Oh! And, er, Merry Christmas, Mister and Missus Smith!"

"Merry Christmas!" Bella and her Doctor replied.

Bella's Doctor gave her a firm look after the other man left. "Go back to the Tardis. I'll meet you there when I'm done."

"No way!" Bella refused. "I wanna know what's going on! Who is that guy, why does he think he's you? He's _human!_ "

"I'll explain as soon as I figure it out," the Time Lord answered as he took her by the shoulders, turned her towards the Tardis, and gave her a gentle shove.

Bella refused to budge. "How come I can't go?" she demanded, turning back to glare at her husband.

"Because it's not safe!" her husband snapped. "Now go!" he ordered, pointing for her to leave.

"Fine! Be that way!" Bella grumped, slowly starting to walk away.

Bella listened until her husband's footsteps indicated that he was running in the opposite direction. "Hmph! Like's that's gonna happen!" She muttered as she turned around to follow the men.


	7. The Next Doctor Part 2

Bella found herself thankful for her bond with the Doctor; she used it and her nose to follow her husband as he shadowed the other man. She watched from her hiding spot as the human Doctor ordered his companion Rosita to go back to their Tardis since what he was about to do was "no work for a woman."

Bella snorted at that. If it wasn't for Rosita he would probably be dead already.

After Rosita left she saw her Doctor head towards the front while the human Doctor went to the back door. She grinned when her Doctor surprised the man by opening it and letting him in. She waited for a beat and quietly let herself in behind them.

Bella eavesdropped on the two men as she shadowed them from room to room. She frowned when the human Doctor discussed the theft of children. She desperately wanted to make her presence known so that she could ask questions but she didn't dare risk it; her husband had _never_ ordered her to go back to the Tardis before and she suspected that he would be furious if he discovered her disobedience. _Why was he so determined to send her away?_ Bella wondered. She puzzled over the odd behavior as she dug through the dead man's stuff one room behind them while she listened.

Bella tensed; one of them was backtracking. She ducked into a closet and waited for him to pass.

Bella jumped as the door to her hiding spot was snatched open. Her husband grabbed her by the arm and jerked her out of hiding. "What do think you are doing!?" he hissed.

"How did you know I was here?" Bella wanted to know.

"I could smell you," he answered bluntly.

Bella sensed that he was angrier than he had ever been at her as he dragged her to the other room.

"Seems your wife is as headstrong as you are, Mister Smith," the other Doctor commented. "I thought you had sent her back home."

"I did," her husband answered. Yup, he was pissed.

"I've learned that turning them over your knee helps with disobedience," the other man supplied helpfully.

"If she keeps it up I just may take that advice."

 _You wouldn't dare,_ Bella glared at her husband. The look he gave her said otherwise. Bella dropped her gaze and sat down in a nearby chair.

Her husband walked back to the human Doctor. "Anyway, where was I? Ah yes! The fob watch. Legend has it that the memories of a Time Lord can be contained within a watch." He held out his hand. "Do you mind?"

The amnesiac handed him the watch without hesitation. Her Doctor lifted it up. "It's said that if it's opened..."

Her Doctor stopped talking when the watch's guts fell out. "Oh. Maybe not," he finished lamely.

"It was more for decoration," the other man explained, embarrassed.

"Yeah. Anyway," her Doctor changed the subject, "alien infiltration. What are we looking for?"

"Yes," the human Doctor said as he continued to dig through the dead man's belongings, "just look for anything different. Possibly metal. Anything that doesn't seem to belong. Perhaps a mechanical device that could fit no earthly engine."

Bella's eyes landed on the rolltop desk beside where she was sitting. She opened the lid and found two strange metal cylinders inside. "Like these?" she asked as she held them up.

"Brilliant!" her husband smiled as he took the devices from her, handing one to the other man. Bella smiled back, relieved that she had finally managed to do something right.

"Different and metal, you were right," her husband said as he examined the object. "They're infostamps. I mean, at a guess. If I were you, I'd say they worked something like this..." Bella's Doctor pressed one end of one of the tubes, causing images to stream out and appear on a nearby mirror.

"See? Compressed information. Tons of it. That is the history of London, 1066 to the present day. This is like a disc, a Cyberdisc," her husband explained. "But why would the Cybermen need something so simple? They've got to be wireless. Unless they're in the wrong century. They haven't got much power. They need plain old basic infostamps to update themselves."

As her husband talked the other man sat down abruptly, an odd expression on his face as he looked at the object in his hands. "Doc-uh, John?" Bella pointed at the other man when the Doctor looked at her.

Her Doctor approached the man. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," the other man said faintly.

Her husband crouched down in front of the other man. "No, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Bella joined her husband, rubbing the other man's back soothingly. She could feel pain rolling off the man in waves.

"I've seen one of these before," the man said. "I was holding this device the night I lost my mind. The night I regenerated. The Cybermen, they made me change. My mind, my face, my whole self. And you were there. Who are you?" the man asked as he looked up at Bella's husband.

"A friend. I swear," her Doctor said.

Bella's hearts broke when the man looked up at her husband, tears in his eyes, "then I beg you, John. Help me."

"Ah," her husband said. "Two words I never refuse. But it's not a conversation for a dead man's house. It'll make more sense if we go back to the Tardis. Your Tardis." He got up and started taking one last look around the room. "Hold on, I need to do a little final check. Won't take a tick. There's one more thing I cannot figure. If this room's got infostamps, then maybe, just maybe, it's got something that needs infostamping."

Bella tensed as her husband opened a door that contained a metal robot behind it. She grabbed the human Doctor by the arm and pulled him up as she felt her husband's emotions ping with danger.

"Okay!" he said as he slammed the door closed and looked at them. "I think we should run."

"Come on!"Bella tried to pull the human Doctor out of danger but he was frozen.

"Run, Doctor! Now!" Bella's husband rushed over to help spur the other man into motion as the robot smashed through the door. They dashed through the house, encountering several more of the metal men as they tried to escape.

"What are those things?" Bella yelled.

"Cybermen!" her husband yelled back.

"Delete! Delete!" the Cybermen chanted, hot in pursuit of Bella and the two Doctors. They seemed to be everywhere!

"Stairs!" her husband yelled, pointing. "Can't lead them outside!"

Bella and the human Doctor raced up the stairs, her husband right at their heels. She turned at the landing when she didn't hear his footsteps behind her to discover that he was playing with an umbrella at the foot of the stairs. She looked around, searching for a weapon. There was a sword on the wall! Bella grabbed it and darted between the Doctor and the wall to whack at the nearest Cyberman. It drew back one hand and reached for her. "Delete!"

"Bella!" her Doctor screamed. He grabbed her by the back of her dress and threw her behind him. Bella tripped over her dress and fell, losing what little breath the corset allowed. She watched in shock as her husband snatched the blade from her hand and brandished it at the robots.

"I'm a dab hand with a cutlass," he warned the approaching Cybermen as he began to back away. "You don't want to come near me when I've got one of these." The machines brushed off his strikes as if he were hitting them with a feather. When he reached Bella he pulled her to her feet and shoved her behind him once more. "Move!" he ordered. Bella managed to untangle her feet from her skirts and ran to where the human Doctor was standing as he fiddled with one of the tubes.

"This is your last warning. Okay, _this_ is your last warning! Okay, I give up!" The Time Lord continued to swing at the Cybermen; they continued to deflect his blows as he retreated. "Listen to me properly. Whatever you're doing stuck in 1851, I can help! I mean it, I'm the only person in the world who can help you! Listen to me! I'm the Doctor, you need me! Check your memory banks. My name's the Doctor. Leave this man alone. The Doctor is me!"

Bella was ready to grab her husband and drag him away, forget the other guy, when he planted his foot in the center of the nearest Cyberman chest and gave a shove. The robot tipped back, knocking the rest of them down the steps like a row of dominoes.

Then they got back up and tried again.

Bella grabbed her husband's arm. "We've got to get out of here!"

"No!" The Time Lord knocked her away. "Take care of the Doctor, Bella. Go!"

Bella wanted to scream at the idiot. What did he think he was doing? Even she could tell that they were outmatched. Was he trying to get himself killed? She couldn't think of a single way to help him except to make him run. But he wasn't listening!

"Delete!"

Closer and closer the Cybermen came. The sword was useless and yet the Time Lord kept swinging. They treated his weapon like a stick, grabbing it on the blade end, trying to wrest it out of his hands yet still Bella's Doctor kept on fighting.

Then her Doctor stumbled. Bella watched with horror as he fell backwards, could imagine triumph glinting in the robotic eyes as they closed in for the kill.

"Delete!"

Bella dived for her husband; she was going to drag him out of there whether he wanted her to or not. She wrapped her arms around his chest and started pulling him backwards. "Damn it Bella, Stop it!" her husband cursed as he worked to pry her hands loose.

A beam of light erupted from behind her and landed on the Cybermen. Metal screams echoed through the house as one by one their heads exploded. Bella whipped her head around and discovered that the human Doctor had somehow turned the tube he was holding into a weapon.

Time seemed to slow as they collapsed into headless piles of scrap.

Bella was so stunned she didn't resist when her husband pried her hands off of him. He got up and walked over to the human who had saved them and examined the makeshift weapon with his eyes.

"Infostamp with a Cyclo-Steinham core," he observed, calm once more. "You ripped open the core and broke the safety. Zap! Only the Doctor would think of that."

"I did that last time," the human shared softly.

"Come here. You'll be okay. Let me just check."

Bella watched from her spot on the floor as her husband took out a stethoscope and listened to his heart. _Was he worried the guy was having a heart attack?_ She knew that he wasn't counting his hearts; a good sniff had already confirmed that.

"You told them you were the Doctor." The human looked like a betrayed puppy. "Why did you do that?"

"Oh, I was just protecting you," her husband deflected.

"You're trying to take away the only thing I've got, like they did." the man continued. "They stole something, something so precious, but I can't remember. What happened to me? What did they do?"

Bella's hearts clenched in sympathy. She knew what it was like to be lost. At that moment he stopped being a puzzle in her eyes and simply became a man in need of help.

"We'll find out," her husband assured the man. "You and me together."

Bella's hand touched something metal as she pushed herself off the floor. It was the sword. Thinking that it might come in handy, she pulled her shawl from around her shoulders and tied it around her waist. She tucked the sword inside the makeshift belt, using the shawl to cover it. The tip still showed at the bottom but hopefully no one would notice. She felt safer with a weapon.

She looked up to see her husband escorting the amnesiac away so she quickly moved to follow. "We'll talk later," he mouthed when he saw her approach. His face was calm but his mind told Bella a different story. He was furious.

~~~###~~~

 **A/N: I never realized how hard it was to write an OC into an episode! It is really hard trying to stay close to the spirit of canon while allowing your OC to be herself, much less having the canon characters react to her actions.**

 **That said, I'm doing the best that I can. Please review, even if you hate it.**


	8. The Next Doctor Part 3

Rosita greeted them in an alleyway some distance away from the dead man's house. "Doctor! I thought you were dead!" she ran up and gave the amnesiac a hug.

"Now then, Rosita. A little decorum," the man chastised her gently as he pulled away.

"You've been gone for so long!" she declared. Turning to Bella, she continued. "He's always doing this, leaving me behind. Going frantic. How did you manage to talk your husband into letting you go?"

"She didn't," the human Doctor answered, both men glancing over at Bella. "What about the Tardis?"

"Oh, she's ready. Come on," Rosita answered the man.

"I'm looking forward to this," Bella's Doctor commented quietly to Bella as they followed the pair.

"Why?" Bella asked.

"His sonic screwdriver is just a normal screwdriver. He says tapping it makes it sonic."

Bella raised an eyebrow as she looked up at her husband. "You're kidding?"

"Nope."

"So...what? Think his Tardis might be a Gypsy wagon?"

"That's what we're about to find out."

A horse hung its head over a stall door and nickered in greeting as they entered a stable. Bella went over to pet it as she looked around. Several stalls were empty, converted into what she assumed was a living area for the human Doctor and Rosita. _Why were they living in a stable when they had a Tardis?_ Bella wondered. Maybe it was a really small Gypsy wagon. She had always wanted to see a Gypsy wagon.

Bella heard the sound of water splashing. "You were right though, Rosita," the human Doctor said to his companion. "The Reverend Fairchild's death was the work of the Cybermen."

"So, you live here?" Bella heard her husband ask.

"A temporary base, until we rout the enemy." The other man explained. "The Tardis is magnificent but it's hardly a home."

 _Maybe not a Gypsy wagon then,_ Bella thought in disappointment.

"And where is the Tardis now?" her husband asked.

"In the yard," the other man answered.

"What's all this luggage?" Her husband asked as he looked around.

"Evidence," the man answered. "The property of Jackson Lake, the first man to be murdered. Oh, but my new friend is a fighter, Rosita, much like myself. He faced the Cybermen with a cutlass. I'm not ashamed to say he was braver than I. He was quite brilliant."

Bella heard the sound of her Doctor's sonic screwdriver. Giving the animal one last pet, she walked over to see what her husband was doing and stood near Rosita.

"What was that noise?" the human Doctor asked.

"Oh, that's just me," her Doctor said. "Whistling." He whistled a few notes to aid his deception. He made a shushing motion at Bella and Rosita as he put the Sonic back in his pocket. He shifted one of the suitcases out of the way and opened the black one beneath it.

"That's another man's property," Rosita scolded him.

"Well, a dead man's," her Doctor agreed as he dug through the contents. "How did you two meet then?" he asked Rosita.

"He saved my life," Rosita explained. "Late one night, by the Osterman's Wharf, this creature came out of the shadows. A man made of metal. I thought I was going to die. And then, there he was, the Doctor. Can you help him, sir? He has such terrible dreams. Wakes up at night in such a state of terror."

"Come now, Rosita," the human Doctor chastised his companion. "With all the things a Time Lord has seen, everything he's lost, he may surely have bad dreams."

"Yeah," Bella's husband agreed as he turned to dig through the case again. "Oh, look!" he said, pulling out another of those metal tubes Bella had found in the dead man's house, "Jackson Lake had an infostamp."

"But how? Is that significant?" the human Doctor asked.

"Doctor, the answer to all this is in your Tardis. Can I see it?"

The other man smiled. "Mister Smith, it would be my honor."

Bella followed the group eagerly, hoping for a Gypsy wagon.

"There she is!" the Human Doctor announced as he led them into a small courtyard. "My transport through time and space. The Tardis."

Bella's eyes widened. She hadn't expected this _._ A hot air balloon complete with wicker basket sat in the courtyard, begging to be released. She didn't know whether to laugh or ask for a ride. "Wow," she compromised.

"You've got...a balloon," Bella could feel her husband's surprise through their link.

"Tardis," the other man corrected. "T. A. R. D. I. S. It stands for Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style. Do you see?"

"Well, I do now," he answered, tugging on one ear. Amusement began mixing with his surprise. "I like it. Good. Tardis. Brilliant. Nice one. And it's inflated by gas, yeah?" he asked as he examined it.

The human Doctor nodded. "We're adjacent to the Mutton Street Gasworks. I pay them a modest fee." He turned to a young man and slapped him on the back. "Good work, Jed," he said as he pulled some papers out of his coat and apparently gave him what appeared to be money.

"Glad to be of service, sir," Jed replied, taking the note from the man.

Bella stepped beside the new man. "Hello!" she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Bella. You're Jed, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, taking her hand.

"Stop it!" Bella's Doctor said in a firm voice.

"What?" Bella looked at her husband quizzically. "I'm just saying hello."

"Just...don't," her Doctor gave her a frustrated look. _What was that about?_ Bella wondered.

He turned to the human Doctor. "You've got quite a bit of money," he commented.

"Oh, you get nothing for nothing," he responded. "How's that ripped panel, Jed?" he asked as he turned to the other man.

"All repaired," Jed answered. "Should work a treat. You never know, maybe tonight's the night, Doctor. Imagine it, seeing Christmas from above."

The human Doctor shook his head. "Not just yet, I think. One day I will ascend. One day soon."

"You've never been up in it?" Bella asked.

"He dreams of leaving, but never does," Rosita answered her.

"I can depart in the Tardis once London is safe. And finally, when I'm up there...Think of it, Mister and Missus Smith. The time and the space."

"The perfect escape," her Doctor agreed. "Do you ever wonder what you're escaping from?"

"With every moment," the amnesiac answered.

Bella's Doctor gave the other man a long look. "Do you want me to tell you? Because I think I've worked it out now. How you became the Doctor. What do you think? Do you want to know?" he asked gently.

"Yes. Yes, I do," the other man answered.

"Let's go inside then," her Doctor said.

The group went back inside the stables and sat across from each other; Bella and her Doctor on one side of the makeshift table with the human Doctor and Rosita on the other as her Doctor began.

"The story begins with the Cybermen. A long time away, and not so far from here, the Cybermen were fought, and they were beaten. They were sent into a howling wilderness called the Void, locked inside forever more. But then a greater battle rose up, so great that everything inside the Void perished. But, as the walls of the world weakened, the last of the Cybermen must have fallen through the dimensions, back in time, to land here. And they found you."

Bella looked at her Doctor in surprise when he mentioned the "walls of the world" weakening. Wasn't that how she had ended up in this universe? Was it the same battle?

"I fought them, I know that," the human Doctor commented. "But what happened?"

Her Doctor continued. "At the same time, another man came to London. Mister Jackson Lake. Plenty of luggage, money in his pocket. Maybe coming to town for the winter season, I dunno. But he found the Cybermen too. And, just like you, exactly like you, he took hold of an infostamp."

Bella's eyes widened as she realized what her husband was saying.

"But he's dead," the man protested. "Jackson Lake is dead. The Cybermen murdered him."

"But you said there wasn't a body found," Bella reminded him, mentioning what she had heard during her eavesdropping session earlier that day.

"And you kept all of his suitcases," her Doctor continued, "but you could never bring yourself to open them. I told you the answer was in the fob watch," he held out his hand. "Can I see?"

Once again the amnesiac handed Bella's Doctor the fob watch. He turned it over to reveal two initials engraved on it.

"J.L." her Doctor said softly. "The watch is Jackson Lake's."

"Jackson Lake is you, sir?" Rosita asked in astonishment.

"But I'm the Doctor," the man protested.

"You became the Doctor because the infostamp you picked up was a book about one particular man." He pressed the button on the metal tube and a series of images appeared on the wall.

"The Cybermen's database. Stolen from the Daleks inside the Void, I'd say, but it's everything you could want to know about the Doctor." Bella watched, examining the faces clearly until the final one appeared. It was her husband. Bella gasped slightly. _Had her husband been all of those people?_

"That's you," Jackson Lake said.

The Doctor winked. "Time Lord, Tardis, enemy of the Cybermen. The one and only. You see, the infostamp must have backfired. Streamed all of that information about me right inside your head."

Jackson Lake put his face in his hands. "I am nothing but a lie."

The Time Lord leaned forward, placing a hand on the other man's arm. "No, no, no, no, no," he corrected. "Infostamps are just facts and figures. All that bravery, saving Rosita, defending London town, hmm? And the invention, building a Tardis. That's all you."

Jackson looked up at the Time Lord. "And what else? Tell me what else?"

"There's still something missing, isn't there?"

Jackson Lake's eyes flashed at the Doctor. "I demand you tell me, sir. Tell me what they took!"

The Doctor accepted his gaze. "Sorry. Really, I am so sorry," he glanced towards stack of luggage, "but that's an awful lot of luggage for one man. Because an infostamp is plain technology. It's not enough to make a man lose his mind. What you suffered is called a fugue. A fugue state, where the mind just runs away because it can't bear to look back. You wanted to become someone else, because Jackson Lake had lost so much."

A bell tolled in the distance.

"Midnight?" Bella asked.

Rosita nodded. "Christmas day."

Jackson Lake was lost in his memories. "I remember. Oh, my God. Caroline. They killed my wife. They killed her." The man covered his face with this hands and started crying softly.

Bella wiped a tear from her eye as she moved to sit beside Jackson and rub his back. Her hands brushed Rosita's darker ones as they worked to comfort the grieving man. She remembered her own grief not so long ago as she said farewell to her baby boy. While she knew it wasn't the same she still understood. He might not be her Doctor, but Bella didn't care. She wished she knew of a way to make it better, to wipe those metal monsters off the face of the earth, but she had never encountered anything like them before.

"Oh, you found a whole cache of infostamps," her husband interrupted her reverie. Bella looked up to see her husband holding a wide strip covered with the items, and she realized with surprise that they were lit up and beeping.

"Why are they beeping?" Bella asked.

"Activation," the Time Lord informed her. "A call to arms. The Cybermen are moving!" he yelled as he ran outside.

Bella jumped up and dashed after him. She found him in the street, watching shadows on the wall coming closer. Children's shadows, Bella guessed from the size. _What were kids doing up so late?_

"What's going on?" Bella asked her husband.

Rosita ran up to them. "What is it? What's happening?" she asked as the children were escorted past them. She pointed at the old man escorting them. "That's Mister Cole. He's master of the Hazel Street Workhouse."

"Workhouse?" Bella wanted to know.

"A place where the orphaned and the poor are kept," the Doctor explained.

"And they make little kids work?" Bella asked, horrified.

"Yes," her husband answered succinctly.

"Maybe he's taking them to prayers," Rosita suggested.

"Oh, nothing as holy as that," the Doctor said, catching up to the old man. "Can you hear me? Hello? No? Mister Cole, you seem to have something in your ear. Now, this might hurt a bit, but if I can just..."

Bella jumped as one of those dog-looking creatures popped its head around a corner and growled. The Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Ah! They're on guard. Can't risk a fight, not with the children."

"But where are they going?" Bella demanded. "What are they doing with the kids?"

"They all need a good whipping, if you ask me. There's tons of them. I've just seen another lot coming down from Ingleby Workhouse down Broadback Lane," Jed told them as he walked up.

"Touch those kids and I'll kick your ass," Bella growled, taking a step towards Jed with blood in her eye.

"Bella, stop it!" the Doctor growled, getting between them. "Where's that? Where's Broadback Lane?" he asked the other man.

"I know where it is," Rosita said. "This way!" She took off down another street, Doctor close behind.

Bella looked between her retreating husband and the children being escorted God-knows-where. _What should she do? Those monsters might hurt the kids!_ She ran up to merge with the crying children. She would protect them.


	9. The Next Doctor Part 4

**A/N: Please excuse any errors; I stayed up till half past three in the morning to finish this for you guys. Sweet dreams!**

 **~~~###~~~**

Bella comforted the kids quietly as they were introduced to the Cybermen, telling them that she would protect them. Her height had made it easy for her to blend in; she was actually a bit shorter than some of the older kids. Thanks to all of her running earlier that day (and the Doctor ripping the back of her dress) she looked every bit as dusty and tattered as the children she sought to protect.

She fingered the handle of the sword at her waist, itching for a fight. No one threatened kids on _her_ watch.

She tried to avoid being noticed by the Cybermen guards as she went around helping the littlest children lift heavy items and generally making their lives a bit easier; while she worked she looked around, trying to figure out a way to help the kids escape. She didn't care if the Cybermen were twice her size, Bella knew that she would figure something out.

She talked to the kids as she worked; the more she learned, the angrier she got. She had always considered England to be such a modern society but this? Anyone who treated such a blessing as children like slaves deserved to burn. Maybe she could talk Jack into helping her put a stop to this when he got a new Vortex Manipulator.

But first she had to stop the Cybermen.

"Children! Pay attention. Now let the new Industrial Revolution begin. I want to see you work!"

Bella hid when the woman in the red dress appeared and ordered the children to work harder. She wanted to stomp that witch into the ground but knew she was outnumbered. Bella followed her when she left, creeping from spot to spot, hoping for a chance to catch the woman alone. She watched as the metal monsters led the woman to a room that contained what Bella could only describe as an Electric Chair; while the woman in the red dress called it a throne Bella only saw death.

Bella smiled tightly as the Cybermen confessed to lying to the woman before dragging her to the chair and strapping her in. _Serves you right, you evil witch!_ Bella thought, satisfied at her fate. She backed out of the room and returned to the children, hoping that the Cybermen would be distracted for a while.

Bella started trying doors, hoping to locate an escape route for the slaving children. When she found one she started sneaking the kids away a few at a time, taking them to the exit and telling them to run.

"Delete! Delete!" Bella jerked to a stop when she heard a klaxon go off and the Cybermen start chanting. Bella ran to the main work area; the Cybermen were killing the kids! She saw a Cyberman grab a child by the shoulder, killing it with a burst of electricity. Bella snatched the sword from her waist and charged.

She struck low, aiming for a knee joint from behind. She cheered inwardly as the metal monster stumbled. She gave a yell, darted around it and stabbed it in one of its eyes; the machine twitched and fell silent.

Bella pulled the sword back out and looked for her next target.

"Now all of you, out! Do you hear me?" Bella saw the Doctor race in yelling, Jackson Lake at his heels. She ducked when Lake pulled out an infostamp and aimed it in her direction. She turned to see that one of the machines had came up behind her while she was distracted.

"Thanks!" she called out to the man for saving her life.

Her husband jumped up on one of the cogs that the children had been forced to turn. "That's an order! Every single one of you, run! There's a hot pie for everyone if you leg it!"

Children ran helter-skelter around the area as Jackson Lake and Rosita joined in the chorus. "All of you, come on, as fast as you can, come on!" Lake yelled while Rosita guided them to the exit.

Bella snuck up on another Cyberman and took him out before he could kill Lake; he nodded at her in silent acknowledgement.

"Here!" Jackson said, handing her one of the infostamps. "Use this, it will make killing them easier. Just rip open the back and press this button." he explained quickly as he demonstrated.

"Thanks!" Bella said, throwing the sword down as she set off with her new weapon. He was right; the device made killing the Cybermen a _lot_ easier.

One by one Lake, Rosita, and Bella killed the Cybermen threatening the children as they helped the Doctor evacuate the building. Bella looked around to discover Lake frozen in place, staring at the children as they ran by. The expression on his face told Bella that he was in the midst of a flashback so she moved closer to watch over him.

"That's my son," she heard him whisper. She looked up; a little boy was on one of the upper levels, staring down at them. Bella didn't hesitate. She grabbed her skirts up in her hands and started running up the stairs.

Flames erupted beneath her as explosions rocked the place. Bella stumbled, grabbing the railing for dear life. She looked back to see the stairs were going up in flames behind her. She hissed as her hands connected with the burning wood and spurred herself to climb even faster. The last steps gave way, collapsing beneath her feet. Bella threw out her arms and caught the landing as she fell.

She pulled herself up, shaking with effort as she heard the Doctor scream her name. She forced herself off the floor, ran to the little boy, and scooped him up in her arms. "It's okay, it's okay, I've got you!" Bella reassured the frightened child as she looked around, desperately searching for a way off the landing.

She was trapped.

"Bella!" The Doctor yelled. "Don't move! I'm coming!" She watched as her husband snatched her abandoned sword off the floor and used it to cut a piece of rope that was tied nearby. It jerked him up and soon he was on the landing with them.

"Hello!" he told the pair. "Put the boy on your back," he told his wife, quickly helping her to reposition the child. "Now put your arms around me," he instructed Bella. She wrapped her arms around his neck and before she could register what was happening the Time Lord had swung them to safety.

Bella moved the boy to her hip before they raced down to rejoin Jackson. "Merry Christmas!" the Doctor smiled as Jackson snatched the child from Bella's arms and hugged him tightly.

The Time Lord quickly had them on the move again. Bella found herself racing through a cellar and eventually into the night. When they reached the street Bella looked up to discover that a giant robot resembling a steampunk version of a Transformer was towering over London. She glanced over at the long, thin piece of gadget that the Doctor had removed from a bigger device they had passed in the cellar. Whatever it was, she figured it must be important. Hopefully it was something that could be used to stop the giant metal monster.

"What is that thing?" Bella asked, pointing up at the sky.

"It's a Cyberking," her husband answered.

"And a Cyberking is what?" Jackson asked.

"It's a ship. Dreadnought class. Front line of an invasion. And inside the chest, a Cyberfactory, ready to convert millions."

"Convert millions into what?" Bella asked as they started running again.

"Cybermen," the Doctor replied.

"Oh."

The Time Lord skidded to a stop, pointing. "Just head south! Take them south. Go to the parkland," The Doctor ordered.

"But where are you going?" Bella and Jackson asked simultaneously.

"To stop that thing," the Doctor answered.

"But I should be with you," Lake argued, handing Bella his son.

The Doctor looked Jackson Lake in the eye. "Jackson, you've got your son and my wife to look after. Now go."

Bella looked between the two men as they faced off. Whatever they were posturing about she just wanted to save the little boy. "Can we get out of here, that thing is coming!"

"God save you, Doctor," the other man finally relented and the Doctor ran off. Jackson guided Bella southward.

"Oh, sir! I thought I lost you!" Rosita exclaimed when she finally caught up with them amidst the chaos.

Jackson gestured to the boy that Bella was stubbornly clinging to. "My son, Rosita. This boy is my son." An explosion interrupted the reunion and the group ducked into a doorway for cover.

Jackson pointed up at the sky. "It's the Tardis! She's flying!"

Bella looked up to see the balloon rising up above them.

"Who the hell is that?" a young man from the crowd asked Jackson.

"His name, sir, is the Doctor."

Bella gasped. She hadn't even thought about what her husband was racing off to do; she had been too focused on the the little boy in her arms. She watched as the Cyberking turned to face her husband, praying that he would be okay. She watched the Doctor beam a light toward the robot's head and heard an inhuman scream come from the giant machine as it started exploding.

"He's killed it!" Jackson cheered. "Whatever he did, he's killed it."

"But it's going to fall!" Rosita exclaimed.

Bella grabbed the boy in her arms even tighter as they started running again. The looked up to see the Doctor point something else at the falling metal monster; swirls of light surrounded the machine before it suddenly vanished.

"Well, I'd say he used the Dimension Vault to transfer the wreckage of the Cyberking into the Time Vortex, there to be harmlessly disintegrated," Jackson Lake explained to the crowd. He chuckled. "Oh, I've picked up a lot!"

Jackson jumped up on a nearby lamp post. "Ladies and gentlemen, I know that man, that Doctor on high, and I know that he has done this deed a thousand times, but not once, not _ever_ , has he ever been thanked. But no more! For I say to you, on this Christmas morn, bravo, sir! Bravo! Bravo, sir!"

"Bravo!" Bella joined in with the crowd as they cheered for her husband.

~~~###~~~

The Doctor and Jackson Lake walked ahead of the women and child as they headed towards the Tardis. "The city will recover, as London always does," Jackson said. "Though the events of today will be history, spoken of for centuries to come."

The Doctor tugged at his ear. "Yeah. Funny that." He didn't have the heart to tell the other man that the events would be quickly forgotten.

"And a new history begins for me." Jackson continued. "I find myself a widower, but with my son and a good friend."

The Time Lord smiled, looking back at Rosita standing beside his wife. "Now, take care of that one. She's marvelous."

"Frederick will need a nursemaid and I can think of none better." Jackson's mood turned somber as he lowered his voice. "Might I ask, do you and your wife have any children?"

The Doctor shook his head. "We lost our first child not too long ago. Bella was only five months' along."

Jackson nodded. "Ahh, I see. I suspected something had happened; your wife hasn't let Frederick out of her arms not once. She needs another to fill the void inside, I think."

The Time Lord nodded.

"Please, come dine with us at the Traveler's Halt. We're having a Christmas feast in celebration, and in memory of those we have lost. It might make it easier to part your wife from my son if we do it there."

The Doctor glanced back at his young wife. "Yeah, that might be best," he agreed slowly.

"Oh, is that it?" Jackson Lake changed the subject as he spied the Tardis beneath a nearby archway.

The Doctor nodded, a small smile lifting his features.

"Oh! Oh, if I might, Doctor?" Jackson gestured towards the Tardis. "One last adventure?"

"Be my guest." The pair walked over to the Tardis. The Doctor unlocked the door and gestured for Jackson to enter.

The Doctor savored Jackson's reaction as he looked around. "Oh. Oh my word." Jackson exclaimed as he examined the console room of the time ship. "Oh, goodness me! Well...but this is, but this is nonsense!"

The Time Lord raised an eyebrow at the other man's reaction. "Well, that's one word for it."

"Complete and utter, wonderful nonsense! How very, very silly. Oh, no! I can't bear it. Oh, it's causing my head to ache. No, no, no, no, no, no!" the man exclaimed as he dashed back outside and leaned against the archway.

"Oh, gracious! That's quite enough," Jackson continued as the Time Lord closed the door. "Shall we go now?"

"Oh, let's go then," the Doctor agreed. "Jackson, if anyone had to be the Doctor, I'm glad it was you."

"The feast awaits. Come with me. Walk this way." Jackson urged the Doctor as the pair started walking back to where Bella and Rosita were waiting with Jackson's son.

The Doctor smiled. "I certainly will. Merry Christmas to you, Jackson."

"Merry Christmas indeed, Doctor."


	10. Demonstration

"Bella, wake up," the Doctor shook his wife's shoulder. "I need to tend your hands."

"Mmgnh!" Bella mumbled. She opened her eyes briefly and closed them again.

"No. Come on, wake up!" he said more firmly, giving her another shake.

Bella groaned again, finally focusing her bleary eyes upon him. "Can't it wait?"

"No. If I had known how bad they were I would have treated them last night. Now, get up."

Bella let out a small cry as she tried to sit up on the bed before allowing herself to relax back onto the covers. "I'm too stiff to move. Let's do it later."

"Tough. You wouldn't have been hurt at all if you had went back to the Tardis like I told you. Up!" He placed an arm beneath her shoulders and forced her into a sitting position.

"Ow! Quit it!" Bella snapped, too stiff to fight. "Did you wake me up just to bitch?"

The Doctor's eyes flashed. "You deliberately disobeyed me, then wandered off and almost got yourself killed! What were you thinking, running up a set of burning stairs!?"

Bella hit him with a grumpy glare. "They weren't exactly burning when I started up them," she clarified. "Besides, I had to save Frederick."

"And how did that work out, eh? You got yourself trapped! You're lucky I managed to get you out of there before that landing collapsed. Now, come on."

Bella groaned as he helped her to her feet. He watched closely, looking for signs that this was something other then general stiffness. It didn't appear that way but he resolved to give her a complete scan just in case. She tried to turn her neck to watch when he moved behind her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of that dress. Can't be comfortable; I'm surprised you managed to fall asleep in it as easily as you did." Bella accepted his attentions as he set to work removing the tattered gown and underclothing. He gave a quick smack to her arm when she tried to doze off yet again.

"Ouch! Quit it!" Bella jumped in surprise. "What the hell? You just slapped me!"

"Then stay awake," the Time Lord ordered firmly. He placed his hand at the small of her back after he got her down to the last set of layers and propelled her to march to the Infirmary.

"Can't I at least get a cup of coffee first?" Bella asked as he guided her along.

"No. Your hands are in bad shape and you might have other injuries."

Bella snorted. "My hands are fine. They don't even hurt. See?" She tapped one of the small spots on her palms with a fingertip to demonstrate.

The Time Lord knocked her hands apart. "You have third degree burns! The nerve centers are damaged, so quit picking!"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Will you quit being so dramatic? I'm fine! God, you're worse than a girl!"

The Doctor turned on her. "Fine? You call almost dying and suffering third degree burns fine?" He worked his mouth, trying to find the words that would make his wife see reason. Failing, he continued propelling her down the corridors.

"I'm not a baby, Doctor," Bella said gently. "I know you mean well but you don't have to coddle me."

"Bella," the Time Lord stopped, turning to look at her. "You are my wife. Not a child, not a companion, my _wife._ It's my job to keep you safe and I intend to do just that whether you want me to or not. We're all that's left, you and I; I'll not risk losing you."

Bella's eyes softened as she gazed up at her husband. "I'm sorry I scared you but really, I'm okay."

"I'll be the judge of that."

The Time Lord quickly set to work as soon as Bella was seated on one of the Infirmary beds. He cleaned her hands then began using the dermal regenerator to heal the damaged layers one by one.

Bella tried pulling her hand out of his grip. "That's starting to hurt," she complained.

"That's because the nerves are growing back."

"Well stop, it hurts." she tugged at the hand again.

The Doctor sighed, put down the regenerator and released her hand. He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a vial. Loading it into a narrow cylinder, he walked back over to his wife. "I'm giving you an analgesic," he explained, placing the cylinder to her neck and triggering a hiss. "It might make you a bit groggy but don't get any ideas about going back to sleep. I want you awake for a bit."

"Thanks," Bella said, giving him back her hand when he reached for it.

"There. All sorted," he told her several minutes later as he watched Bella examine the fresh pink skin on her palms. "They'll be tender for a few days while the skin toughens up but you'll be fine. I gave you an antibiotic just in case of infection as well. Now lay down so I can scan you."

Bella sighed deeply but didn't argue as she obeyed. The Time Lord could tell that the analgesic was mixing with her general sleepiness as her eyes began drifting shut but he wasn't ready to let her sleep yet; he quickly began the scanning process before she could doze off. Other than the burns, general stiffness, and exhaustion she was fine. Breathing a sigh of relief, he helped her off the bed and led her back to their bedroom.

"Coffee?" Bella asked hopefully as they walked past the kitchen.

"Not yet," the Doctor responded.

Bella paused, a quizzical look on her face, when he moved to guide her past their bed and towards their ensuite. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor smiled. "You'll see."

He left her side once they entered the bathroom, moving over to the tub and turning on the water. As it was running he sprinkled some mineral salts in the tub.

"Are you running me a bath?" Bella asked. The Time Lord forced himself not to grin at the amazement in her voice.

"Something like that," he responded as he removed his jacket and tie. He felt Bella's eyes watching him as he continued to undress; it soothed his ego to know that his young wife found him attractive.

"Don't," he ordered her gently when she reached to remove the last of her Victorian underthings. "That's my job."

"Okay," Bella squeaked. She was awake now _._ The Time Lord saw his wife swallow reflexively as her face began to flush. His eyes never left hers while he finished removing the rest of his clothes.

Task finished, he stepped behind his wife. He placed his hands upon her shoulders and lightly brushed his fingertips down her arms, past her hands, and down her sides until he reached the hem of her chemise. He could hear her breathing quicken as he lifted it over her head.

He slowly walked around to her front. Crouching, he undid the drawstring holding her drawers in place and pulled them to the floor.

Standing back up, he cupped Bella's heated face in his hands and tilted her face up. "Look at me," he said when she failed to meet his gaze. He smiled tenderly when she obeyed.

"Sometimes I don't think you understand what you mean to me," he told her softly, rubbing one thumb across her cheek. "Let's fix that, eh?"

Bella's eyes widened as she nodded.

He released her and turned to shut off the water. "Don't," he said when he heard her begin to shift; she stilled. He stirred the water with one hand to verify the temperature and ensure that the mineral salts he had added were thoroughly distributed; they would help ease her muscle discomfort.

He turned slightly, reaching out a hand and taking her smaller one in his to help her step inside the tub. Bella remained silent but he could feel her mind buzzing with anticipation. He forced his mind to remain calm; he wanted his wife off-balance.

After Bella was seated in the warm water he stepped in the tub and sat down behind her; he stretched his long legs out on each side of her body. She turned to watch as he dipped a cloth in the water before lathering it with soap.

"Doctor..." his wife began when he shifted her hair over one shoulder.

"Shh," he said.

He rubbed the soapy cloth in small circles on her back. Bella moaned; he could feel her muscles relax with his ministrations. He scooped some water up and rinsed her well.

"Scoot forward and tilt your head back," he instructed. He washed her hair when she obeyed.

"Turn around and let me get your front," he said next.

Every time she attempted to speak he shushed her into silence. He wanted her to focus on feelings, not conversation.

He stilled her hand when she reached for the cloth. "No," he whispered.

Her eyes were puzzled. "But why?"

"Because this isn't about me," he told her softly. He had actually showered earlier in preparation.

After his wife was clean he turned her around and leaned her against her chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his cheek against the top of her head and sighed. It felt good to have her close.

When the water began to cool he got out of the tub and quickly dried off. "Don't," he said when she went to stand up. When he was ready, he reached for her and helped her exit the tub.

He wrapped a towel around her, drying her off as gently as he had just bathed her. He ran a comb through her freshly cleaned hair to remove any tangles.

"Doctor, I..."

"Shush," he commanded once again. Bella stilled.

Satisfied, the Time Lord placed his hand in the small of her back and guided her into their bedroom. He felt her watching him as he turned down the covers, felt her mind make a leap of anticipation and he stifled a smile in response.

"Come on," he said as he helped her into bed. Entering with her, he nudged her to turn away from him.

He felt her confusion through the bond. "But I thought..."

"Shush." the Doctor said as he wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed the back of her shoulder. "Go back to sleep."

And she did.


End file.
